Learning Patience When Plans Change

Sitting in church on Sunday, Pastor Rick Warren shared these powerful words: “In order to learn the fruits of the Spirit, you have to be put in situations where they’re the opposite.” To learn patience, you have to be put in a setting that is impatient.”

This truth pierced my heart as I knew the Holy Spirit was speaking directly to me.

You see, my book launch for my first book, Depth: Growing Through Heartbreak to Strength was supposed to begin that next day, Monday August 1^st. Everything had been planned and ready to go, but the link on Amazon to preorder the paperback book had not gone live yet.

My publisher had uploaded it one week before and shared that normally it took 24-72 hours. So I was surprised when it still had not appeared seven days later.  This is why no email arrived in your inbox on Monday like I shared last week. My invitation to join my launch team would have to be put on pause.

Learning to wait well can be so hard.

Maybe you find yourself in a similar situation. I want to share some encouragement that a friend shared with me that really helped.  In the August 2nd devotional from Streams in the Desert, it says, “The only way genuine patience can be acquired is by enduring the very trials that seems so unbearable today.”

The fertile soil to learn patience is the struggles and setbacks in life.

This is similar to the message in my book, Depth. What if your greatest heartbreak catapults you to your greatest growth?

Our deep roots grow the most not in the easy times, but in the hard times. As we trust God in our disappointments and lean into Him in our heartbreaks, our faith deepens!

God was using a delay in Depth to remind me of what forges true depth.

Listen to these encouraging words from a friend: “This whole book is your testimony of how you experienced things outside of your control, and let those experiences bring you closer to Him. This is just another opportunity to do it that again.”

So, as I continue to wait for my book to come out of the cyber space abyss and enter the Amazon store in paperback form, I am reminded to lean in closer to God, wait on His perfect timing, and know that even when things feel out of control, God is in control.

Is this easy? No.

To be completely honest, I am super frustrated and discouraged by this delay. But I am also expectant of what God has planned because I know He doesn’t waste any of our tears.

Again, I was hoping to invite you to be part of my book launch team today but instead I am asking you to partner with me in prayer!

Ironically, my book is available for paperback preorder in many other countries like the UK, Australia, Bolivia and more. (Honestly, I have always wanted to go to Australia- anyone up for a road trip?)

In all seriousness, the fact that it is not available in the US feels like an attack from the enemy.

My publisher shared with me that this has never happened before, a book not appearing on Amazon within a week. I believe this is spiritual warfare, so I am asking for my prayer warriors to join me in praying over this book as well as my heart as I patiently wait!

I hope very soon, you will be getting an email from me that says: The link is working, please join my book launch team. Until then, thank you for your prayers over Depth!

Love, Jodi